Praise be our Goddess Madoka, for She died for our sins and gave us hope

Kimi no hitomi ni….

It’s roughly halfway in to the week-long wait for true tears 13, arguably the finale I’m anticipating the most of all for Winter 07/08. true tears has been truly a masterpiece, with the production team managing to make the majority of their viewers (okay, me at the least) hang on to the edge of their seats throughout it’s run, not bad for a series that I expected to be “just another harem romance show”.

I admit, that my true tears 12 post earlier has definitely sparked quite a huge response, way more than I expected. But yet, I assure you, that was my true feelings at that moment, which is my blogging principle all along. Calling it a Noe victory was definitely my thoughts at the moment. After listening to the many opinions and the comments and rewatching the episode quite a few times myself, I have to concede it was a call made too early.

Let’s go back to a few things I missed out to say in my earlier post. First off, the interesting parallels between Hiromi and Mrs. Nakagami. I wonder how many have noticed, but Hiromi’s character is slowly turning to resemble Mrs. Nakagami at certain points, most interestingly on how she views Noe as an opponent, which is probably just as how Mrs. Nakagami viewed Hiromi’s mother as a rival of sorts, in the past. The scenes where she confronts Noe in the morning and the surprised look on her face as she saw Noe as the shrine as well were really key scenes.

You can actually see a role reversal of sorts happening to Hiromi with Noe. This isn’t to imply that Hiromi’s going to turn in to a “bitch”, though. It’s all a form of expression for their love. And seeing how much his parents situation parallel with his, in a different yet weirdly similar sort of way, can I take it as a positive sign that the writers are going for a Hiromi end? XD

Another thing I missed mentioning out was Hiromi’s strong declaration of her as Shin’s girlfriend to the unsuspecting Ai-chan. I think a few have already mentioned how this part was one of this episode’s highlights, as with that simple words and gesture, it totally hit in the final nail in to Ai-chan’s budding love for Shinichiro. On the other hand, it also shows the extent of Hiromi’s love for Shinichiro as well, in a simple,elegant and surprising way too.

On to Noe. As I’ve mentioned, Noe was really badly hit in this episode, emotionally. The lingering blow of her realization of Shinchiro’s feelings for Hiromi, her feelings of a love broken, her mental impression of her tears not being able to shed, all added up together with Hiromi’s strong declaration of her feelings and her own brother’s incestuous declaration has really given her a real good emotional sucker punch.

To use the term “emo” on her, is really a big disrespect, considering on how much we’ve all went through her eyes. Her weird blend of ignorance of certain feelings and her sensitivity to the body language of others, really made her in to a character with impact to many people. However, her naivety has resulted in her being unable to deal with this huge emotional slap-in-the-face of sorts thus pushing her to drastic actions, i.e. jumping of the tree. While I was shocked for her in my initial watch, but after rewatching, I realise it’s actually a positive thing, as her choice of “jumping” is the first choice that she truly makes and consciously recognizes it. Only by doing so, will she be able to finally move forward and mature in a more healthy direction, assuming the crew doesn’t pull the “coma” card on us.

So far, I’ve been talking about the girls, and finally, time to talk about Shinichiro. While Hiromi may have the poured in the most amount of love for Shin, sadly to say, Noe is the one that has a net positive influence towards Shinichiro in terms of maturing him as a character. To say Shinchiro as “undecisive” and “immature” is really another big disrespect. Youth is… a time of making mistakes and recognizing them, and in this manner, Shinichiro has definitely been lucky to have met Noe to lead him down the path of maturity.

In terms of episode 12, recognizing this fact sheds new light on Shinchiro’s reason to look for Noe at the end of the dance. Has he really chosen her? Or does he only truly wants to share his new-found maturity and decision with her. If Noe hadn’t jumped, I would’ve gone with the latter…. but, with Noe’s leap of faith (of sorts) it definitely throws any solid projections for episode 13 out.

All in all, I still say there’s a 50:50 chance of either girl’s ending… and possibly also an ending totally out of expectations. Whatever it is, the ending of true tears next Sunday is definitely going to be surprising.

25 Comments

Leviahan Said,

asdf Said,

“Youth is… the time of making mistakes and recognizing them, and in this manner, Shinichiro has definitely been lucky to have met Noe to lead him down the path of maturity”

That’s a big disrespect and stereotype for youth. Being a youth myself, mistakes definitely do not stop my tracks. They happen, yes, but not nearly as exaggerated as Shin’s version. Shin is just ignorant. He deserves the pain.

And for Noe being a foil to his growth – err, Noe is the most naive and immature character in the story; anyone would look mature compared to Noe. And seriously, did the death of her grandmother hit her that hard? – And yes, I’m going to use the world emo, because that’s an exact description of her. He doesn’t love you, okay, time to MOVE ON! Why are all of these characters so slow in realizing things?

Also, if Shin is going to chose Noe because he realized that she made him, err, mature, then that is THE cheesiest reason. What are they going to to after they become adults? Another thing that really angers me is that after all those attempts to tell Hiromi that he likes her… and then runs of to Noe? I sense future adultery already. Who knows what other women he may run into when he becomes an adult, when he’s already a pro at it at such a young age.

My wish: Noe and Hiromi finds new guys that are suitable for them (actually, the character of Noe’s bro really suits Noe), and Shin ends up with nothing.

I didn’t meant it to be a disrespectful stereotype when I wrote those words out. It would be more disrespectful on my part if I didn’t write out what I felt just because I want to be politically correct.

Shin is not ignorant. Shin is just normal. You are probably judging with your viewer’s All-Seeing Eye, and seem to forget that not everyone actually gets to see the whole picture of things. I think you are judging Shin way to harshly.

Noe is naive, yes, but immature is a bit of a stretch to say about her. How does being honest to one’s beliefs (without harming others) is “immature”? Probably the most respectable part of Noe’s behavior is how honest she is towards others. Even if she didn’t recognize her initial feelings for Shin at first, that isn’t “immature”, she just didn’t comprehend the feeling at first.

Justine Said,

It’s not that Noe is immature… She is just way too sensitive… and naive, yes, but not immature. I think the best solution for her, would be forgetting about Shin, because that doesn’t lead her anywhere.

And about Hiromi and Shin…. Well I also think that after all his efforts to tell Hiromi how he cares about her and showing that he is willing to do almost everything for her happines [just like Jun for Noe], if he would just go to Noe and leave Hiromi behing, that would be really IMMATURE. So lets belive in True Tears creators and hope that the ending won’t disappoint us. Whatever the final girl will be. Although I think they should just forget about Shin and make Miyokichi the main male character, because he is the most suitable for this role.

I still think that Hiromi was desperately trying to convince herself that her relationship with Shin was one of honesty, but that is no the case given how Hiromi has tried to go behind his back and tell Noe to back off. I still don’t think that Hiromi and Shin see eye to eye nor do I believe that they have been honest with one another. Hiromi has become so fearful and jealous of Noe’s impact on Shin that Hiromi fears to confront Shin on matter, perhaps she fears what his answer will be.

Noe has by and large left Shin alone they did not even converse at all in this episode and yet Shin’s thoughts are of Noe. Strangley enough Hiromi’s thoughts have drifted towards focusing on Noe as a threat to her position as girlfriend. Hiromi still lacks faith in her Shin-chan and seeks to rid herself of Noe, who she sees as actively trying to take Shin away from her. We know that Noe has not actively even looked for Shin and that her attempts to let him go have been undertaken at great cost to Noe. Hiromi even missed Shin’s last dance with her preoccupation with the Noe threat. So long as Noe is around Hiromi will never be secure in her alleged position of Shin’s girlfriend. So long as Noe is around Hiromi will still fear losing Shin-chan.

Hiromi is the last character who still has not tried to move on with her life. while the rest of the cast has moved on, Hiromi still seeks to reclaim her past. The taking off her slipper and don’t leave me behind were attempts to stir in Shin his old obligations to her. Hiromi still clings to the Shin she knew not the Shin that stands before her. Noe has altered Shin, and he is not longer the guy Hiromi once knew. I cannot help but wonder that if Hiromi and Shin were truly honest with one another if they would still be in love. A lot has changed since those days, is Hriomi chasing the Shin that stands before her or the one she so fondly remembers? The world wonders.

JohnG Said,

So we have a teenager who is about to break up with her boyfriend and is so depressed that she attempts to chuck a chicken into the sea and then jumps out of a tree… This is like the definition of emo! There’s nothing wrong with that; seems like a lot of kids these days go emo over exactly this situation. Hiromi is actually pretty emo too, she’s just not as outwardly nutty as Noe.

Justine Said,

“Hiromi has tried to go behind his back and tell Noe to back off”
Ok, right, but didn’t she tell him that she done it? So I don’t see here any insincerity. It’s obvious that Hiromi is jealous of Noe, that’s also a part of love. What’s more, she has a right to be jealous, because Noe subconsciously seeks Shin.

“her attempts to let him go have been undertaken at great cost to Noe”
You’re joking right? Right, Noe talks about forgeting about Shin, but she haven’t done anything to actually do it. She only talks about it.

I’m still saying that it will be Hiromi’s ending. She is the one to see how he really changed through past few months(?), because she knows him that long. He changed thanks to Noe, I agree, but Shin always was saying that he wanted to make Hiromi smile, and I personally think that it’s the best way of showing that you care about other person, because you want their happiness. Shin didn’t really care about Noe’s happiness, he written a book thanks to her, she was some kind of inspiration for him, she encouraged him to take a flight and chase his dreams, she was a great friend to him, but it’s Hiromi for whom he always fought, whom he defended, he was even willing to stand up to his mother only to protect her. That’s why I can’t really see Noe’s ending here, despite all my sympathy to Noe and all the things she had done for Shin.

You always make interesting posts about true tears, lols, one of the main reasons I often visit your blog XD

I agree that none of the characters are doing anything wrong, or well, they’re just being themselves. Seriously, if I were in Shinichirou’s position, I wouldn’t know who to choose and I’d just not choose any of them because it’d be too painful for me. I hope Shinichirou chooses someone, but if not, then I completely understand him.

About Jibeta /lol the chicken have been quite the topic in this series/, do you think it would mirrored Noe’s fall from grace? Like, everything bad is happening to her.

I was quite stubborn with the Hiromi ending, but I think any ending -except Aiko/Shini, obviously excluded/ would make sense…both Noe and Hiromi are important…yet Shini’s impulsive hug can’t be forgotten, but feelings change and grow…

Of all love triangles, this one turned out to be great, especially because Nobuse gets a girl as well.

semtex Said,

I find it hard its gonna be an ending where Shin ‘picks’ Noe instead of a Hiromi ending. Why?

For Shin, Noe was more like an inspiration to Shin, as Justine have mentioned already. She inspired him to be more honest to his feelings, inspired him to finish his book. For example in episode 9 at the pier Noe says to him that the place where he flies is not here, hinting that his heart lies with Hiromi. Now that he is more honest to his feelings he just can’t forget about Noe, because she is his friend. And as her friend Shin is worried about Noe since he saw her at the pier in the morning with Jibeta. I think he also wants to help Noe get her tears back, showing its okay to cry when you are sad. He is also tired of doing things half-assed way(as this episode confirmed) which means he won’t forget Hiromi after he has helped Noe getting her tears back.

Now all is left is to see the writers prove me wrong

T_I Said,

If this way a KEY anime, then Noe end is almost ensured, since they tend to favor that err… funny in the head, fragile archetype. Of course that would also mean that someone inexplicably dies eventually. LOL

It could also go the Kimi ga Nozomu Eien route.

The gentle fragile victimized girl comes out stronger out of this. (now with even more creative ideas in her head)

The other girl is depicted as being of weaker heart, but admits her shortcomings. But she gets the 2nd start. Now granted, Hiromi is far from being a drunk and distraught women, but you get my point.

Or maybe it could end like Kimikiss.
Yoshino-san I didn’t really mean all the things I said to you earlier for the past 20 or so episodes, because you see… I wasn’t honest to myself LOLOLOLOL. There certainly was an epic struggle in my heart, though. The director just didn’t bother to show it. Ha ha ha. Regardless, thanks for all the fish and goodbye.

@Justine
Hiromi confessed to Shin after she did it, there was no consultation prior thus implying a lack of trust. Its like knifing some one in the back and telling them after you ran them through. That to me seems terribly insincere as there is nothing that can be done after the fact. I think Hiromi was trying to guilt trip Shin and force a decision in her favor by pretending that she did it for him. If Shin’s love for Hiromi is beyond question then why not trust that Shin only has her in his heart and that Noe is nothing more than a friend. Is Shin’s heart and his affection for Hiromi so weak that all Noe has to do is see him face to fac for HiromixShin to end?

I think Noe has tried to forget about Shin, trying to not go to the festival, jumping off the tree, and avoiding him at school. I think Noe really tried this episode and I think she was much more proactive in trying to let him go. Of course she failed in the end but that was after what certainty was left in her life was pretty much dashed.

The way I see it Hiromi can easily screw it up for herself her actions against and reactions to Noe occupied much more of her time this episode. Perhaps Shin has defended Hiromi for many years, and in my opinion he failed miserably. He did not defeat Kanae, Hiromi’s running away and near death did it, unless we say that Shin had a direct hand in endangering Hiromi’s life. Hiromi no longer needs defending, Shin does have a crush on Hiromi, but that does not mean that he loves the Hiromi that stands before him? You say Hiromi has known Shin for a long time but his hopes and his dreams were a mystery to her until she saw the pictures. strange that Shin can share his deepest hopes and dreams with someone other that the one he loves.

Noe is a credible threat an Hiromi can be jealous is she so choose, but her jealousy can wasily poison the relationship she thinks she has. There never was a shin declaration of love for Hiromi. Hiromi wants to entrench herself so she can beat off Noe from a superior position, but if all Hiromi sees is the looming threat of Noe then she will lose sight of Shin. In fact she already lost sight of his last dance while she was glaring at Noe.

Kanae was jealous of Mrs. Yuasa and look how she turned out. I think Hiromi is very much in danger of making the same mistake Kanae made.

@Crusader: Insecurity is very much a normal thing in love. In this case… I think Hiromi’s actions are still very much in the bounds of acceptance. It’s not like she went and stabbed Noe in the back. As she’s said, since she’s finally been able to be honest with her own love, she doesn’t want it to be ruined.

Remember, she’s been suppressing her love for the past few years (at the least), especially towards someone so close by, so it’s not that surprising she feels insecure. There are sometimes things you can’t see even though you are close by.

I’m pretty sure that Hiromi knows about Shin’s picture book, though. It’s just probably she was trying to not notice it as part of trying to suppress her feelings.

Also… who’s Kanae? I presume you’re talking about Shin’s mother. From where did you get her real name?

@Ritsuka: Jibeta hasn’t “fell from grace”, at the least not outside of Shin’s original half-assed attempted to end his picture book. Really, the chickens have been well discussed in this series. Funnily though, I don’t think they make as big as an impact in the series itself than the amount of discussion it generates.

@T_I: I laughed out loud, especially on the last part with Kimikiss. I should write something about Kimikiss…. heh.

T_I Said,

Hiromi is “clingy” because a she was very impressed by a certain someone’s out pouring of his heart in episode 10. Someone gave her a reason.

Before this, she was content on moving out and going on her life. Suddenly a certain someone dashed out to her in a scene that would fit in a cheesy Hollywood movie; telling her that he’ll take care of everything.

Imagine someone offering a bottle of milk to a baby, only to take it away a moment later. The baby obviously cries. Do you blame the baby?

Actually whoever Shin goes after in the end, I wouldn’t really mind since both Noe and Hiromi are likable characters with their own charms. The amount of attention that Shin pays to both of them are almost equal, so it wouldn’t really be a surprise if he were to go for one or the other. Unlike say, Canvas2 where the viewers are led to expect that the main protagonist will go after one girl, only to later turn around and decide on the other.

@Kurogane
I believe Mrs. Nakagami’s name was revealed in episode 10 when Hiromi was talking to her adopted father about moving out, or at least that was what the woof sub had.

At any rate i know that Hiromi feels a bit insecure now, but for me this episode really hammered home how much jealousy and insecurity were rapidly becoming the only things she had left. We see her having less out ward affection for Shin this time than we see Hiromi desperately trying to get rid of Noe or otherwise raging at Noe.

The thing is that Shin did build himself up to protect Hiromi but now Hiromi needs no protecting. Hiromi got pretty much everything she wanted after losing her parents she has a family again, and a home. Noe however pretty much lost Jun, the only family she had left. I cannot help but wonder if in the end Shin will try and protect someone properly by looking after Noe. It still remains to be seen whether or not Shin and Hiromi are still somehow related as Kanae did wince (ep 9) when Hiromi asked if her being Shin’s half sister was a lie. Even if that aspect has not been seen since it remains to be seen whether or not the truth behind Kanae’s hatred of Mrs. Yuasa may yet come into play. Had a Hiromi victory been set by now I would not have given it a second thought but now that card has suddenly become viable again. i just hope if igets played that it will be used wisely though, but if they can’t I’d rather it not be used. Nevertheless I remain wary of what cards can still be played on Sunday.

eiani Said,

Immature may be not the right word, but Noe definitely needs some common sense knocked into her brain. She also needs to consider others’ feelings (at an earlier date), and become more observant… well, actually, there are not many good qualities in her: she’s quite self-centered, and hypocritical. Being a (at the least) 15-year-old, she should be able to sacrifice herself w/o affecting others.

Many say that she was selfless when she sang “the one in Shin’s heart is Hiromi,” but the audience should be able to sense that she is NOT going to move on. She knows that going to that deck, jumping off the tree, and going to the festival is going to keep Shin running after her. All of those acts that she pulled is TOO COINCIDENTAL to be innocent. If she was going to give Shin and Hiromi her blessing, why did she go the the festival? She even asserted herself that she was not going to go. All of those acts that she performed did make her seem like better person, but she most definitely is not as innocent as she appears.

Another question: how did she fell in love with Shin again? I don’t even remember the transition; one day she was obsessed with Raigomaru and then BANG! She fell in love with him.

Dirian Said,

“All in all, I still say there’s a 50:50 chance of either girl’s ending… and possibly also an ending totally out of expectations. Whatever it is, the ending of true tears next Sunday is definitely going to be surprising.”

This.

Fact is I’ve read blogs/comments of Hiromi fans who think a Hiromi ending is destined, and gone into all the reasons why(including this one though you eventually went with the tossup).

I’ve also read the blogs/comments of Noe fans who think a Noe ending is destined and gone into all the reasons why.

The fact that both sides have presented arguments which I couldn’t find fault with is proof enough to me that it’s still very much up in the air.

But lets go further.

Arguements as I see them:

Noe ending:

-Fact is, Noe is the one that Shin is constantly thinking about, she’s the one that has fostered his growth(whatever your opinion of her own maturity), she’s the one that seems to have invaded every aspect of his life, and since HE’S the one that ultimately has to make the decision, what matters is what HE’S thinking about, and the fact that she is monopolizing his thought processes so much suggests he could very well be leaning towards her.

-Shin has this annoying(or sweet depending on your view) tendency to want to “be there” for his companions, try and solve their problems(even when he makes them worse), and I think at times really wants to be the “white knight” as it were. Hence all his defending of Hiromi. Yet now Hiromi needs no defending. She is no longer oppressed and in many respects has learned to stand on her own two feet. We of course see that she still needs Shin desperately, but does he see it? Might he not see her as no longer needing him just as Noe, what with her current emotional downspiral DOES seem to need him? Might this not trigger his white knight syndrome and lead him to Noe after all? Again it’s what’s in his head, and this is all speculation on my part, so take it as you will.

-While previously Noe was portrayed as being super insightful into the hearts of others, some might have used her declaration “the one in his heart is Hiromi” as a sure sign that surely the all-knowing moe Noe(because rhyming is fun) must have also pegged this one correctly! Yet in episode 12 she is forced to admit to herself, and to the audience, that she really doesn’t know anything about the true feelings of those around her, making her previous observation possibly moot.

-When they were kids Shin left Hiromi on that path. Might he do that again? For all his defending, the fact that they keep bringing up her shoe, a homage to earlier days, an appeal to the ever present “childhood friend” syndrome, and yet that memory is one of abandonment. Foreshadowing? Will history repeat itself? Unknown, but it could point to the Noe ending.

-Hiromi is likened to Kanae, and many have noticed it. The viewers have seen the ill effects of Kanae’s jealousy, have been made to be repulsed by it. Might not that serve to make viewers not want the Hiromi end because that’s not the intended one instead of foreshadowing that Hiromi is destined for the end girl slot?

-Hiromi has, from the beginning, been the tragic girl. An orphaned girl, early associated with tragedy, she goes to live under an oppressive adoptive mother, finds that the boy she has loved since childhood could possibly be her brother, by her own hand does everything necessary to distance herself from said boy. Might not her tragedy be complete? Might not she be shown the first few glimpses of happiness only to make the final tragedy all the more bitter when it comes?

-As Crusader points out, and like Kanae(again the comparison comes up), she lives in the past, yet as Noe declares, the theme of this show might be moving forward, into the future. As long as Hiromi clings to the past she cannot move into the past, and might the tragedy of my last point serve to truly illustrate the fate of all who insist on clinging to the past instead of walking(or flying) boldly into the future?

-Finally, as Crusader also points out, Hiromi has been much MUCH more interested in getting Noe OUT of the picture then getting herself INTO the picture. She declares herself his girlfriend, confronts Noe, but is she really getting on with the actual relationship? Might her attempts to secure her place from outside assault have blinded her to the lack of integrity within the relationship, and have kept her from making any relationship secure where it truly counted?

Hiromi End:

-Childhood Friend. Let’s face it, as Kimikiss was wont to hammer into our heads, the Japanese culture places a pretty huge emphasis on the childhood friend card, and Hiromi has that big time. I mentioned earlier that when they were younger Hiromi was abandoned but might that not lead Shin to keep from repeating that mistake again? Might he now do right what he did wrong all those years ago, and in a way that matters infinitely more?

-Hiromi has grown alot in the past few episodes from the tragic and despised liar she was at the beginning of the show. She is finally being honest with herself, proudly declaring the feelings she once took such pains to deny, moving all in with everything she has to make Shin understand in no uncertain terms that HE is the one that is in her heart. All she needs to complete her redemption is for Shin to acknowledge her feelings and return them. And if she can make Shin see that she does in fact need him, and needs him badly, can his “white knight” syndrome resist running into her arms and letting her know that he meant what he said, and that he’ll never abandon her again?

-So much of her narrative seems to almost depend on this redemption of the tragic heroine. Might not that be the strongest indicator of a Hiromi ending? That the transformation from poor tragic girl to redemption into full happiness take place, that she after everything can truly fly? After such a tragic past, what better could Hiromi ask for then after suffering so much to find her beloved Shin waiting for her.

-Hiromi has been likened to Kanae, as I mentioned earlier, and like Kanae she has lived in the past. While Kanae lived in the past she was a hateful, petty, jealous overlord. Yet when she let go of her past and moved on into the future she became the beautiful woman we have seen in this episode. She has shown she is quite human, and a decent person afterall. The entire household has improved with the change. Might not the parallels continue? True Hiromi lives in the past now, and while she does she shows all the qualities(and even the body language) that made Kanae so hateful earlier in the series, and yet she too can let go of her past in the span of an episode, and find happiness. And lest we forget Kanae did end up married to Mr. Nakagami. The parallel is there, and very strong, and that could be a strong indicator of a Hiromi end as Kurogane himself has pointed out.

-Noe might have been mistaken on the feelings of others in the past, and yet was she right when she said that Hiromi was the one in Shin’s heart, and that his place to fly wasn’t with her(Noe)? Afterall, Shin HAS loved Hiromi for a long time. This led him into foolish action in the past when he was mistaken about her true feelings, but now that she has made those feelings known, can Shin honestly say that he doesn’t love her anymore? Sure Noe was his muse, his inspiration, his catalyst for making himself a better person(as in many ways the accident was Hiromi’s catalyst for becoming a better person), but is that the same as romantic love? Shin may have mistakenly confessed to Noe out of some desperate sense to fill the void of having lost Hiromi forever, but now he knows the truth. Whatever his feelings for Noe might she have been simply a replacement for Hiromi, and now that the real thing is within his grasp again, why continue the farce of a substitute? As others have pointed out, you don’t want to be the first girl the main guy talks to in the last episode.

As you can see the ending could be argued either way. So many events and themes depend on really knowing who he chooses in the end. An event which argues and supports one ending in one light argues directly against it when seen in another light. This leads to the ambiguity of the ending, and shows all the more that the ending WILL be the central piece of the whole story. The ending is what will make sense of everything we’ve seen so far, will show us the true themes the show has been about, and since it’s so central, it makes trying to deduce the center from everything around it so hard, because in many ways we don’t know what we’re seeing MEANS till we know who he chooses.

@Crusader: I believe Shin’s father was saying “kanai” (家内), which means “my wife”. That is why I watch raw for shows like this, translations for them can sometimes be quite off, rising to mistakes and misconceptions.

Mr. and Mrs. Nakagami’s names, have so far remained shrouded in mystery… I believe it’s intentional too.

I think of Noe and Shinichiro as representations of the two chickens in Shinichiro’s picture book.

Noe = Jibeta

Shinichiro = Raigomaru

Noe was the first to try and fly, Shinichiro witnesses this helplessly. Just like the story. Lets say Noe dies from the fall.

Shinichiro will sink deep into depression therefore feeling discouraged to attempt to ‘fly’. Just like Raigomaru realises he is just another chicken and he can’t fly. He will work himself out of the depression and Hiromi will realise how bad she has acted after Noe’s death.

Shinichiro X Hiromi end.

Far fetched?

Bob Said,

I’m praying for an ending in which Shin, being an indecisive bitch, winds up with no one. There’s a difference between the confusions of youth and willfully refusing to stand up for whatever you think.

eiani Said,

tortiz Said,

True Tears is definitely a show in which we shouldn’t be taking the characters’ actions at face value. This applies to both Noe and Hiromi. Hence, as for Noe being innocent, I can’t quite agree..

Regarding Hiromi’s claim to being Shin’ichirou’s girlfriend: After watching Episode 12 a second time with subs, her claim felt more like she was speaking to herself rather than declaring out loud to Aiko that she is THE girlfriend. As for telling Noe those selfish stuff, I think many are forgetting the agreement made between Jun and Shin’ichirou. Hiromi did have the impression that if one couple broke up, the other shouldn’t continue too. She broke up with Jun, hence it was only right for her to expect that Noe stop looking for Shin’ichirou. Granted, she doesn’t know that Noe is still ignorant of the agreement.

As to Hiromi becoming more like Mrs Nakagami.. In terms of actions, yes. But Hiromi does realise the consequences of her actions (without the need for others to tell her). From the way she voices her thoughts, it is clear that she doesn’t really belong in Mrs Nakagami’s league.

That said, I can’t quite see what the ending will be. Trying to predict would be futile since we do not know what’s going on inside the writers’ minds.

Shigure Said,

Ok, i won´t read all the posts here now (i´ll read them later tho), but here is what i have to say:

It won´t matter if Shin ends up with Aiko, Noe or Hiromi, or none at all, i predict (and yes , i know everyone know this since chapter 1) this sunday(?) there will be hordes of rabid fanbois crying because their favorite girl lost the game. But what makes me laugh even more it´s that even if shin doesn´t end up with any of the girls they will be mad at the producers calling them “n00bz” “Fails” and other stuff.

Why is this? becase it´s completely imposible to make a show where everyone ends happy, because anime fans (Actually, fans in general, not just from anime, it aplies in games, movies, tv, etc…) don´t know what they want.

If you give them a happy ending, they complain
If you give them a sad ending, they complain
If you give them an “open” ending, they complain
If you give them Nice boats, yup, they complain

Best advice i could give to all of those waiting for: “OMG HIROMI ENDINGZ NAO”, “OMG I WANTZ MY NOE ENDINGZ”, “LOL, I WANT AIKO OWNING THE OTHER BITCHES ENDING”, “OMG I WANT SHIN TO STAY RONERY”… guys, don´t watch the final episode, do us that favor please, because you know, we know, they know you´re going to end up dissapointed an flaming on “X” forums about True tears ending.